


Into the Unknown

by eyemeohmy



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Gen, Other, Possibly Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:35:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23564626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eyemeohmy/pseuds/eyemeohmy
Summary: Djinn makes one wish and one wish only: for Gene the genie to be free.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 48





	Into the Unknown

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ToonQueen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToonQueen/gifts).



> This is based off of a giant Djinn/Gene AU co-created with ToonQueen, HOWEVER I'm not sure I'm going to write it all out. Bitch is massive. So this can either count as a prologue or a oneshot. It really depends on my energy levels and if anyone would be interested to see more.
> 
> This fic takes place after Donald makes his final wish in the Quack Pack episode, introducing two more characters into the fold.
> 
> I know it's D'jinn, but I'm uhhhhh lazy. Although Djinn's species remains unknown, I'm making him an Arabian wolf. 
> 
> Some of the prose/action scenes feel wonky and stilted, so forgive them and any errors you may find.

"A family portrait? Are you _freakin' kidding me_?"

Donald sighed, smiling fondly at the picture in his hands. Louie stood beside him, frothing, angry eyes practically bulging from his skull. "Y-You wasted your last wish!" he cried, pulling at his head feathers. "For-for something I coulda taken with my phone?" To demonstrate, he yanked his brothers and Webby over, holding out his phone, his grin manic and forced as he snapped an awkward photo. "See? And it only cost a little data!"

"It's lovely, Donald," Della said, touching her brother's shoulder. Launchpad sniffed and wiped away a tear.

"Okay," Louie huffed, smoothing down his feathers. He marched over to the lamp now sitting atop a pile of gold coins. "It's my t--"

"Nope!" Huey interjected, snatching up the lamp and hugging it close. "We need to think about this first!"

Dewey pried it all too easily from Huey's hands. "Everyone watch out!" he exclaimed, holding up the lamp. "It's Dewey's time to Dewey-shine!"

"Not so fast, laddies," Scrooge said, taking the lamp with the curved handle of his cane. "As the one who found the map, and took the right door to the treasure chamber, I claim 'seniority'." He grinned, that familiar greedy look of dollar signs in his eyes.

"Technically!" Webby jumped up, picked the lamp off the cane before Scrooge could grab it. "It's my turn! You did say I could have the lamp since, and I quote," she said, clearing her throat, then repeating in her best elderly Scottish duck accent: "'Just an old oil lamp. Hardly worth taking.'"

Scrooge scoffed. "See here now, Webbigail! First, your impression of me is downright abhor--"

"She has a point," Mrs. Beakley said, defending her granddaughter. She moved to stand in front of Webby as Louie snuck forward. Louie cursed and shoved his hands back in his coat pockets.

"Give me the lamp, lass," Scrooge said, grinning, "and I'll let you read my school report on _Charlotte's Web_."

Webby gasped, dropping the lamp. Dewey slid across the coins and caught it with a loud "ShaDewey!" Louie immediately pounced on him, followed by a concerned Huey, less interested in making wishes than keeping his brothers from making any. Webby leaped into the scuffle with a piledriver; Donald and Della went to break the kids off each other, while Scrooge tried to grab the lamp from a safe distance with his cane.

"Remember the last time you played with the time-space continuum? Remember how you tore the very fine fabric of reality with that time machine?" Huey hissed, paling at the memories.

"This time it'll be different. I'll word my wishes veeery carefully."

"Now, now!" Dewey laughed, wagging a finger. "We all know the hippest bro will make the hippest wishes! Everyone'll benefit from the touch of Dewey!"

"Oh, like you're any better! You'd just make yourself the next Jaybird Leno so you can get super popular and rake in all the money, _Dewford_!"

"This is too dangerous! We should leave the lamp behind! Did you see that genie? Completely unhinged!"

"Huey's right--after I make my three wishes!"

"Kids, please! You'll all get a turn!"

"Got it!" Scrooge cheered, lamp in hand. He held it up, beamed, only for Dewey to accidentally kick him in the leg. Scrooge grunted and tripped forward, dropping the lamp over the side of the pillar. "No, don't got it..." He widened his eyes--not only were all the giant scorpions dead or unconscious, standing below were their lost guides, Faris Djinn and Amunet.

"Hey, you guys made it!" Webby exclaimed, waving down at the two.

"Don't let it break!" Louie screamed, flailing. "There's a genie in that lamp!"

Djinn blinked as the lamp fell closer, light from the torch in his hand glinting off its golden surface. He caught it easily in his free hand. Amunet walked over, wiping her khopesh clean.

"Is it really a magic lamp?" Amunet asked, eyes sparkling. "I've only ever heard stories about genies!"

"It's the real deal!" Della confirmed, nodding. "We were worried the scorpions got you after you fell into that snake pit."

"Nothing we couldn't handle," Amunet reassured, winking. Djinn was quietly looking over the lamp, turning it in his fingers. His stoic expression stretched across the shiny surface. "You guys okay, though? Looks like you found the treasure!"

"We're fine," Della chortled, wiping away sweat, "we had a close call, but uhh, yeah, mind throwin' up a rope?"

"We'll pack up the treasure after we get down," Scrooge insisted, "and after Djinn returns the lamp to its rightful owner. Which is _me_."

"Oh, please!"

"Webby is first, then you can--"

"Amunet," Djinn said, ignoring the squabbling ducks. He turned to the jackal, held out the torch. She took it, curious. Scrooge looked down just as Djinn started rubbing the lamp.

"Wait! You don't--!"

Purple smoke poured out of the lamp's spout, swirling up into a giant cloud. It exploded, glitter raining down as the genie appeared with a boisterous cackle. "You want an encore, do you? You love me, you really love me!" Gene squealed, puffing out his chest and grinning smugly. "Tha-ank you, tha-ank you..." He bowed to each duck with a twirl of his wrist. "As always, I live to serve, your loyal and devout jester."

"Wasn't us," Launchpad said, pointing at Djinn.

Gene glanced down at the one holding his lamp. He blinked. "Well, well, well, a new face," he said, floating to the ground. "So serious, too, but still very easy on the eyes," he purred. He circled Djinn, spinning a thread of green smoke around the silent wolf. "You weren't here earlier. Did I sleep for another decade?" Gene giggled. "Your silly concepts of time are just all over the place."

"It's 2020," Amunet said. "So, you're a real genie? I've never met a genie before! I'm Amunet!" She beamed and held out her hand.

"So, twenty-eight or so minutes? Standard sitcom episode length, of course," Gene snickered. He stretched his arm out five feet to shake Amunet's hand. "Name's Gene, G-E-N-E. Say it, don't spray, and definitely don't wear it out." Each word appeared in a puff of smoke above his head; they disappeared when he tittered. "I'm still detoxing from the 90s, forgive-- Anyw-- But who, _oh who_ , are you? Aside from my brand new Master, congratulationsss!" Gene blew four noisemakers with beak and nostrils in Djinn's face, who still had yet to move or say a word, the paper rolls smacking his cheek and throwing glitter in his eyes.

"My name is Faris Djinn," Djinn answered finally. He swept the glitter off his face, unblinking, frowning.

"Huh... tough one, tough one," Gene hummed, stroking his bottom bill. "But let's turn that frown upside down with your first of tha-ree wishes!" He slid behind Djinn, squeezed and massaged his shoulders. "So, what'll it be, Master? All the riches in the world?" He snapped his fingers, showing an image of Djinn swimming in striped trunks through fields of gold.

Scrooge snorted, a little offended.

"What about power? Any type of power! Maybe you want political power?" Gene swiped the image to show Djinn at a podium before a flag that bore the warrior's likeliness, wearing a suit and flanked by reporters. "Oooor something a little more fantastical?" The genie flipped the image around; now Djinn was vanquishing his shadowy enemies with fireballs and summoned tsunami waves. "But you seem like a fun guy, and what's more fun thaaaan...!" Gene clapped, and giant blobs of ice cream and strings of chocolate syrup fell from the sky, "A never-ending gigantic ice cream sundae!" He lifted his turban to pull out an enormous banana, adding it to the piles of melting sweets.

Amunet grinned, sweeping a bit of ice cream on her finger and licking it off. She blinked and said, "There's no flavor?"

"They're not real, my dear," Gene chortled, wagging a finger, "at least, not yet." He playfully elbowed Djinn in the side, placing a cherry on top of his head. "So, what'll it be, my Master? From your hearts desires to your wildest dreams!" He summoned a spotlight on himself, bowed theatrically. "Just ask Gene...s."

"Wish for infinite wishes!" Louie shouted. "Don't be a doofus like my doofus uncle!"

"Ooff, unfortunately, unlimited wishes are one of the three deal breakers, I am," Gene paused to laugh softly, somewhat bitterly and not even remotely apologetic, "afraid to report." He pulled down a chart, popped on a pair of glasses, and gestured to the list with a pointer stick. "No infinite wishes, no wishing for someone to fall in love with you, and technically, no bringing back the dead. Unless you want rotting, lumbering, mindless zombies." Gene released the chart, where it disappeared alongside his glasses and pointer.

"I have only one wish, genie," Djinn said, holding up the lamp. Everyone leaned in, intrigued, nervous. 

Gene cracked, stretched, and blew on his fingers, readying himself. 

Djinn rubbed the lamp and said, "I wish you free, genie."

Gasps rippled through the chamber, many jaws dropping and eyes widening. 

"As you wish, Master!" Gene laughed, raising his glowing hands. "One free genie on the wa--wait." A record from somewhere scratched to a halt. Gene's eyes opened; he blinked, confused, surprised. Slowly he smiled, weak and nervous. "O-Oh, very funny; I love when my Master has a sense of humor, they can stomach my presence a little easier," he tittered, wringing his hands, "but really, if you need a rain check on that first wish, we ca--"

Gene stumbled back as his hands began to swell with magic. "No, you... you weren't kidding," he whispered, awed. He looked up at Djinn, his eyes glazed over. Then the wolf... smiled, and Gene felt as if he'd been sucker-punched.

"Bleedin' bagpipes!" Scrooge wailed, hands to his head. "But I didn't get my--"

" _Shabooey_!" Gene exclaimed, magic flowing off his fingers in purple smoke. It cocooned and wrapped around him, tighter and tighter, and as the mortals watched on in fear and hope, the smoke dispersed and disappeared with a hiss seconds later. Gene stood there, sparkling; outwardly, nothing appeared to have changed.

Gene looked himself over, studied his hands. "Am... I...?" He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, grunted, willing himself to turn to smoke.

Nothing.

Gene tried to shapeshift into someone else--nothing. He tried to grow as tall as a Redwood, and as small as a mouse--still nothing. Gene turned and ran toward the rock pillar, leaping off the ground, intending to fly up to the group above--only he got two feet off the ground, hit the rock, and fell onto his back.

Amunet and Djinn ran over. "You okay?" Amunet asked, helping Gene sit up.

"I dunnoooo?" Gene whined. He touched the cut on his forehead, cursed. "This is... pain? R-Real... pain?" He looked at his fingers; there was blood. "Is..." Gene stuck his fingers in his mouth, sucked the blood off; coughed and spat. "Nope, ain't ketchup."

"You are mortal now," Djinn said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I have freed you."

Gene's eyes widened, nearly taking up his whole face. "F... Fuh... rr..." He laughed skittishly, tugging at his earrings. "I--I can't even say t-the word, you--that--"

"Oh!" Amunet gasped, pointing to Gene's forehead. "The cut! It's healing!"

Gene crossed his eyes to look up at his forehead. "Huh..." He scratched his cheek. "Guess... I still got some... magic?"

" _You freed the freakin' genie_?"

Louie picked up a bag of rubies and went to throw it at Djinn. "My money! My future! My dreams!" he wailed, his brothers and mother holding him back. " _How daaaare_ \--!"

Hard tremors shook the entire cavern, spilling pebbles and rocks from the walls. Della and Donald snatched up the four children before they could fall from the basket. Scrooge gasped as coins fell loose to the ground.

"I think we're havin' an earthquake, guys," Launchpad said. He grunted as a rock bounced off his head, Mrs. Beakley grabbing him by the back of his coat before he could plummet over the side of the pillar.

Gene squeaked as the ground practically threw and bounced him up into the air. Djinn caught him in his arms. "What is happening?" he asked.

Gene's beak felt warm suddenly. "I--I think we might have triggered Collie's last trap," he answered, holding his turban to his head.

The group above screamed as the pillar suddenly shattered, throwing them to the ground. Gene held out his hands to catch them with magic, but still nothing came, not even a wisp of smoke. Fortunately, the group managed to guide and surf the basket down; it flipped, throwing everyone out. The treasure spilled across the floor in a golden, glittering spray.

"Is everyone okay? Is anyone hurt?" Della asked, checking the children first.

"Just our pride!" Launchpad laughed, one eye bruised and swollen shut.

"I--I can't use magic!" Gene squawked, looking at his hands in shock. "I can't-- There's just no way--"

"Look!" Webby cried, pointing to the cavern wall behind them. Deep crevices and crags cut and broke through the rock, splitting down the middle of the Collie Baba silhouette that had been carved into the surface. Water dripped, drizzled, and sprayed from the cracks. Rocks fell in front of the only entrance and exit to the chamber, blocking it.

"Not good," Gene groaned, chewing his fingers, "I hope everyone knows how to swim, 'cause this chamber's about to get flooded!"

Donald grabbed the empty basket. "We can use this as a boat?" he offered. Della and Launchpad helped turn it over. "It's big enough to fit us all!"

"But the treasure! We need it to carry the treasure!" Scrooge insisted.

"It'll be too heavy!" Della said, shaking her head. She and the children climbed into the makeshift raft. "Is there a way out?" she asked Gene.

Gene thought a moment. "There is... a secret passage... through there!" He pointed over Djinn's shoulder, nearly smacking him in the face. He chortled, blushing. "S-Sorry."

"How do we open it?" Amunet demanded.

"There's a failsafe," Gene answered. More rock broke and fell away from the wall, water gushing inside. It was already ankle high. Scrooge struggled to fit as much treasure into his pockets as possible. "We can disable it, and the wall should--"

Everyone screeched as a wave of water filled the chamber, pushing the boat away from the rest of the group. "Get on!" Djinn snapped, still holding the former genie in his arms. He tossed Gene into the boat as Amunet and Mrs. Beakley climbed inside.

Launchpad picked up Scrooge. "We gotta leave the treasure, Mr. McDee!" he exclaimed.

Scrooge kicked and flailed. "No! Collie Baba's lost treasure is mine!" he snarled. "Leave me 'ere, I'll catch up--"

"Forgive me, Scrooge," Djinn said as he thrust the butt of his scimitar's hilt into the back of the elderly duck's head, knocking him out.

"Well, that'll work," Launchpad chortled, handing Scrooge to Della and Donald as he hopped into the raft.

Djinn waded through the waist high water. Amunet and Mrs. Beakley pulled him in just as the entire wall exploded, instantly filling half the chamber and rocking the boat across the room.

"There! The sculpture!" Gene said, pointing at the Collie Baba bust carved into the far rock. "The eye--it's a button! We need to hit the eye, and the wall will open!"

"Everyone! Row for the wall!" Mrs. Beakley ordered, paddling with her arms. The others joined, fighting against the currents. As soon as they got close, the water only swept them back; soon the chamber would be filled, either drowning or crushing them against the ceiling.

Scrooge woke with a groan, rubbing the back of his head. He looked down at his hat, beamed. "The fertility totem!" he cheered, picking up the heavy golden figurine. "The most sacred--"

"Hup!" Djinn grunted, taking the totem from Scrooge's hands.

Gene stopped paddling, snapped, "Now!"

"Really?" Scrooge squawked, stamping a foot.

Djinn wound back his arm, pitching the statue as hard as he could. It struck the center of the eye, the pupil retracting into the wall. With a low rumble, the rocks started falling away, leading to a dark tunnel. Djinn dropped back down just in time to grab and hold onto Gene, the raft tossed violently along a wave inside the tunnel.

Amunet took Dewey by a hand before he could fall overboard. "Where does the tunnel lead?" she shouted over the roaring water.

Soon, the group was enveloped in darkness. Webby gathered the remaining three flashlights from the packs, shining them along the walls and ceiling. "The tunnel's not that wide," she noted. "Are we gonna get stuck?"

"Unfortunately, no," Gene swallowed, nodding ahead. The tunnel opened into another chamber; there were islands on each side of the narrow stream. Giant scorpions stood at the shores, snarling and clapping their pincers at the approaching raft. "But, uh, if we get out of this alive, next we should b--Wait!" Gene yanked on his earrings. "I'm mortal now! I'm gonna die! Not a TV written-offscreen death, a _literal, real, forever and ever death_!"

"No one is going to die!" Scrooge snarled, holding up his cane. Mrs. Beakley nodded, and the adults quickly surrounded the edges of the raft, moving the children and Gene to the center. As they entered the chamber, they swung their weapons, kicked, and punched away the swinging scorpions' claws and tails.

"Where does the next room lead to?" Webby asked, shaking Gene by the shoulders.

"O-Outside!" Gene stammered. He screamed and shrunk away as a tail swayed by overhead, nearly taking Launchpad's off his shoulders. "Gods, oh Gods, is this what it's like living in fear of your own mortality every waking second of your pitifully short and finite days?"

"Keep it together, Gene!" Webby snapped, slapping Gene across the face. "No panic attacks on the life raft!"

"Are you sure you're outta magic?" Louie asked, sweating and trembling with fear. He took Gene's hands, held and waved them in the air. "Shabooey shabooey get us outta here I don't wanna die dooey!"

"I-- I can't do anything!" Gene replied, wilting. "I'm... I'm useless..."

"No," Djinn said, lopping off one of the scorpion's eye stalks, "without you, we wouldn't have escaped the treasure chamber!"

Gene perked up a little. "I do kinda know this place like the back of my hands," he chuckled, blushing. He gasped and stood up, nearly fell back over as the raft shifted abruptly. "Wait! Wait wait wait! Tall, dull, and handsome!" He scampered up Launchpad's body to stand on his shoulders, forcefully turning his head back to the front. "See that strategically placed vine hanging there? It's not a vine at all! Pull on it and the ground will open, taking us to the outside!"

"Hey, that's where we wanna go!" Launchpad beamed.

"You're the tallest, but not tall enough," Gene mumbled, stroking his chin. He looked back at the kids. "Each of you! Let's make a ladder! It's our only way out!"

"Roger!" Webby exclaimed, grinning excitedly. Dewey followed her, while Huey had to drag Louie to join them. One by one Launchpad and Gene helped the kids up, until Webby stood on Gene's shoulders, followed by Dewey, Louie, and Huey.

"Can you reach it, children?" Mrs. Beakley asked, grabbing a scorpion's tail and throwing it into the water.

"Y-Yeah! Just a little higher!" Huey said. They were getting steadily closer to the vine; he reached out a shaky hand, the tower struggling to hold tight and stable beneath him. Just a few feet now, and as Huey stretched himself as far as possible, the raft hit a rock, shaking the five loose.

The children screamed as they fell. Louie grabbed onto Dewey, the two landing on the raft at their mother's feet. Webby, Huey, and Gene fell into the water. Webby managed to latch onto the side of the raft; Mrs. Beakley dodged a swiping pincer to reach down and pull her on board. Before Huey could be swept away, Scrooge hooked him up by his cane.

"Gene!" Launchpad gasped, reaching a hand uselessly for the former genie.

Gene kicked and splashed up foam. He never learned how to swim--never had any reason to. The currents pulled him under for long seconds as he struggled to claw back to the surface. He couldn't breathe--another first of many--gargling water as it filled his lungs. Gene saw something dark swiftly move off the raft before he slammed into a rock; his vision doubled, and he could only groan as he slowly sunk.

Gene opened his eyes, blinking; everything was a blur, a film over his eyes. His head felt light, his limbs useless. He saw only the blue of the water, and some gold from distant rock and sand.

So, this was how he'd meet his end, huh? Well, it certainly wasn't anticlimactic. Gene often dreamed of being free, of living a normal life. Now it all just felt... kind of silly. Only a mortal for less than twenty minutes, and he was already on his way to the afterlife. Gene knew drowning was a terrible way to go, but he didn't feel much of anything. Maybe it was his remaining magic keeping the pain at bay.

Gene had never slept in his long, long, long life. Not any type of real sleep, anyway. So this would be his first, and his last. The "big sleep" is what they called death, yeah? Did this count as going out with a bang? Or was it just kind of ordinary and boring? Still, no need to struggle, he was so exhausted--

Gene grunted, bubbles popping from his beak as Djinn suddenly grabbed him by the arm, pulling him up. Gene opened his eyes, meeting the wolf's, and despite the fact he was on the verge of death, he couldn't help but think how nice and warm those eyes looked. Not nearly as cold as the rest of the warrior. Almost familiar, actually. Kinda comforting...

Adrenaline hit Gene like a freight train; his scream was mute, and he gagged as he swallowed more water. Djinn held his arm as he one-handedly swam back to the surface. Gene kicked his legs as hard as he could until they were side by side.

Djinn and Gene breached, gasping and choking. Gene greedily swallowed up air, still holding onto Djinn. The raft was twenty feet ahead; Gene looked above, the vine having been pulled away. 

"Are you all right?" Djinn coughed and snorted.

"Is that a trick question?" Gene wheezed, picking his turban bobbing nearby and shoving it back on. The feather slapped against his face. He pushed his top back into place, glanced at the raft, at the others reaching out to them. "Oh, shabooey," Gene moaned, brushing aside the feather, "I forgot about--"

The raft suddenly disappeared, tipping down, the cries of its passengers fading. "We're goin' down!" Gene squealed, smacking and paddling against the water.

Djinn grabbed the former genie. "Hold on tight!" he ordered, clutching Gene to his chest.

Gene felt warmth blossom in his chest. He looked up at the wolf curling around him. Teeth grit and eyes squeezed shut, Gene said a prayer to the gods and held Djinn for dear life.

The two tumbled together over the small cliff, thrown underwater where they spun and rolled inside a narrow tunnel. Occasionally floating or tossed up to the surface, spotting the raft and others ahead. A part of the boat had been torn in the fall and knocked over, the group clinging to it to keep from drifting off. They hit a sharp turn, narrowly missing the rocky corner, where the rapids carried them to a giant opening to the outside.

"Wa-waterfall!" Gene spattered, spitting out a stream of water. "B-Big one!"

After a sudden dip in the water, Djinn and Gene were close enough to the raft for Della and Mrs. Beakley to grab and lift them aboard. "Waterfall ahead!" Gene declared. "The drop--we're not gonna make it!"

"Everyone!" Scrooge cried. "Get under--"

A violent wave crashed into the raft, pitching it out of the opening. The group clung to the raft as they fell freely in the air, screaming and crying. Gene forced open his eyes, glanced down; nearly two hundred feet to the lagoon below.

"No!" Gene panicked, "I c-can't die! I just got freed!" He shook his head, eyes screwed tightly shut. "No! Not after everything I've been through! Not after--not after _him_! I'm not gonna waste my life and--and just _die_!"

Gene didn't hear the surprised gasps as sudden purple light surrounded them. He remained curled up, fingers clenched in tight fists, waiting for the inevitable.

"Gene!" 

Djinn? He wasn't a pancake yet?

Gene cracked open one eye before they both flew wide open. Everyone was... alive, and uninjured. And floating in a large purple bubble. Gene glanced around at the perplexed explorers, then down at his feet. The bubble hovered just inches above the lagoon.

"You saved us!" Amunet cheered, throwing up her arms. The tip of her khopesh pierced the bubble, but it didn't break. "It's stronger than it looks!"

Gene blinked, studying his trembling hands. "Did I..." He looked Djinn directly in the eyes, scared and baffled. "Did I do that?"

Djinn nodded. "And just in the nick of time," he said, nodding at the water underneath them.

"So you do still have some magic in you!" Louie exclaimed, pouncing on top of the former genie. "Think I can squeeze one last wish out of you?"

Gene just laughed and hugged the duckling. "Hooray!" he cheered, bouncing, "I'm a hero!" And then he fainted, and the ball exploded with a comical _pop_ , dropping the party into the water.

\---

Gene had to check. If there were survivors, maybe he could... The wish never specified that the people of Atlantis all had to die.

Gene soared and zigzagged effortlessly through the water like an eel. He looked upon the fallen city, still settling in its final resting place at the bottom of the ocean. Rock, silt, and sand dirtied the murky waters. Gene circled the city from a safe distance, his heart--or something like it--pounding fearfully in his chest.

He searched for almost an hour, but had yet to find anyone--alive or dead. Gene knew he was running out of time. He moved into the city, swimming through what was once a lush garden of rare and beautiful flowers and plants. They'd all been blown away, burned down, torn out, withered petals and leaves floating aimlessly alongside the cracked and beheaded fountain statute of the Atlantean god Poseiduck.

The gene checked every room, every chamber, finding only carnage. Part of him was relieved there were no corpses, but he was hardly happy.

Gene's scream was unsurprisingly audible even under such depths as something grabbed him by the ankle. He looked down, gaping. An Atlantean citizen; she was barely alive, slowly succumbing to the pressure. By the looks of her gown, she'd been the city's Oracle. The wolf had survived this far due to the small amount of magic she possessed.

"I'm sorry," Gene apologized, taking the priestess's face in his hands. "I'm so... so sorry." He bopped her long snout, generating a bubble of air around her head. The Oracle hacked and wheezed, pawing the helmet. "I'll take you to safety," Gene reassured, squeezing her shoulders, "but you need--"

"Return to me, genie!"

"No!" Gene gasped. The wolf was too exhausted to swim, too deep underwater, and the air bubble would only last-- He saw her terrified face one last time, and when he next blinked, he was standing on the beach, completely dry.

Gene dropped to his knees, staring out over the water turned red by the setting sun. Into the empty space of sea and crumbling cliffs where a massive empire once stood, now lost and abandoned in a deep underwater trench. It only took a wish and one flick of Gene's wrist.

\---

"...ne?"

A hard slap to his chest, and Gene bolted upright, spewing out water and a minnow with a squeak.

"Thank goodness," Djinn sighed. He placed a hand to Gene's shoulder. "Rest a moment." He laid the duck back down.

Gene wiped his eyes. Djinn was smiling, showing a little fang. Gene grinned weakly. "Hey," he chortled, inhaling, "s'kinda cute on you."

Scrooge sat by the lagoon's edge. He watched with teary eyes as the opening above collapsed, stuffed with rocks. The waterfall dried up. "Collie Baba's treasure..." he whispered, sniffling. "It's... gone. Buried and washed away into the open seas..."

"Sorry, Uncle Scrooge," Della said, patting his back, "but at least we all made it out alive."

"And I saved my photo!" Donald beamed, holding up his family portrait.

Louie screamed, pulling out fistfuls of head feathers. Huey gave him a paper bag to breathe into.

"Apologies for not paying you in advance, Mister Djinn," Mrs. Beakley said politely. "Will you take a check?" she asked, rummaging inside her pouch. She grimaced as she pulled out the soaked, dripping checkbook streaked with running ink. "... On second thought, we'll wire you the payment once we return to Duckburg."

"Heeey, buddy," Dewey said, plopping down beside Gene. "You healed that cut, made that bubble--so you still got power! Buuuut no wishes?"

"I'm... not sure," Gene said, looking to Djinn. The lamp was still miraculously tied to his sash. "Make a wish?"

"I doubt anything will happen," Djinn said, taking out the lamp.

Scrooge appeared in a flash, snatched up the lamp and rubbed it. "I wish for all of Collie Baba's lost treasure!" he shouted with a maniacal twinkle in his eye.

Gene raised his hands. "Shaboo--! Nope." He lowered his hands again, shook his head. "Not feelin' it."

Both Scrooge and Louie cried out in anguish.

"But!" Gene chuckled, pulling off his wet shoes. He turned them over, dumping ten gold dubloons from his left shoe and a handful of priceless diamonds from his right. Scrooge's eyes lit up again; he dropped the lamp, gleefully scooping up the treasures.

"That couldn't have been comfortable," Amunet murmured, cocking a brow.

"That's more than enough to pay for gas on your way home, yeah?" Gene snickered, winking.

Louie grabbed the largest diamond, dozens of his eyes reflecting off its multifaceted surface. "What an eyefull!" he laughed, giving the rock a kiss.

"Content now, guys?" Della sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Never!" Scrooge growled. His face lightened as he cuddled the coins and diamonds to his cheek. "But this'll do for an hour or two."

"Hey! The plane's not that far from here!" Launchpad said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "Want me to run and fly it back over?"

"No!" the family shrieked in unison.

"We've had our one giant wreck for the day," Donald grumbled.

"Two if you include that nightmarish Hellscape that was the 90s'," Huey spat.

"Then we're walking."

Djinn held a hand out to Gene. "How do you feel? Can you walk for a bit?" he asked.

Gene frowned. He slowly pushed himself to his feet. His knees felt wobbly, but he nodded. "All good," he reassured, took a step forward, and fell beak-first into the sand, "... for a total of one second."

"Would you... like if I carried you?" Djinn offered, tilting his head. "If you do not mind, that is."

Gene yanked his beak out of the dirt, blushing. "I... C-Carry me?"

"I do not think you can return to your lamp. Nor can I imagine it is very comfortable."

"Believe me," Gene snorted, brushing off his face and shoulders. "It's a tight fit." He winced, averting his gaze. "But, uh... Yeah. Um. I don't mind." He playfully kicked a pebble, tugging on his sash. "If you... if you wanna carry me."

"Very well," Djinn replied, nodding. He carefully scooped the duck up in his arms, helping him sit on his shoulders. 

Gene wrapped his arms around Djinn's head and smiled.

\---

After a twenty minute walk through desert and the small oasis, the explorers returned to the plane. Djinn had his bike parked nearby the ship. Everyone took a moment to drink, snack, and change into dry clothing.

Della walked over to the former genie, sitting and observing his now fellow mortals. She carried a folded pile of clothes in her arms. "Think these might fit you?" she asked with a kind smile.

Gene blinked, jaw dropping. "Cloth--you're... giving me clothes?" he asked.

"They might be a bit too small, but they should be enough until you can buy some new ones," Della replied. "And, hey, you're mortal now. You'll get sick if you stay in all those wet clothes, y'know."

Gene took the clothes--a pair of cargo shorts and a sporty red tank top. "Y-Yeah..." He murmured, still perplexed. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been given a gift.

Well, until he was wished free.

Gene quickly changed into the shirt and shorts; his shoes were mostly dry now, at least, but he kept his turban firmly in place.

"So!" Webby said, grinning wide. "Are you coming with us?"

Gene's eyes bulged. This was just too much, especially all at once. "I... With you? As in, come like, live... with you?" He pointed between himself and the duckling.

Webby giggled. "Maybe not 'live,' but certainly stay for a while! Until you get back on your feet." She looked at Scrooge bickering with her grandma. "Uncle Scrooge is a bit cranky and selfish at times, but he means well. I'm sure he'll help you out!"

Gene chewed his tongue. "And what about you two?" he asked, turning to Djinn and Amunet packing up the bike. "Do you live with these loonies?"

"No," Djinn said. "I do not have a home. At least, not a permanent one. The road is my home."

"Actually, he's dropping me back off at my temple, then it's back to the road," Amunet chortled.

Gene stared at the ground. "I see..."

"We should get going before tonight's sandstorm rolls in," Della suggested. "Gene, you're coming, right?" She reached back, clamping Scrooge's beak shut.

Gene shook his head. A home. He was being offered a home. Maybe not a permanent one, but it was a start. And that's all he needed.

And yet... Gene watched as Djinn stuffed the useless old lamp in one of the bike's side bags.

"Djinn!"

Djinn looked up, wrinkling his nose. "Yes?"

Gene cowered up to the warrior, poking his forefingers together. "Do you think you have... maybe... room for one more?" he mumbled, gesturing vaguely at the motorcycle.

Amunet's ears perked, and she grinned. Djinn was quiet, that stoic look still on his face. "I think we can fit ya, definitely," Amunet said, elbowing Djinn's side. "Whatta say, Faris?"

Djinn hummed. He stood up straight, furrowed his brows. Everyone stared at him, anticipating, Gene's eyes wide and hopeful and a little scared.

"I'd be honored to have your company," Djinn said, finally, one corner of his mouth tugging into a lopsided smile.

Gene couldn't help but laugh and cheer, bouncing in the air. "Shabooey!" he squealed. He quickly settled down, cleared his throat. "S-Sorry. I'll be quiet. I'm very well-mannered, and I won't make any trouble if I can't help it. Promise."

"Who knows," Amunet said, "you might even find my temple nice and cozy. My people and I would love to have you."

Gene nodded. "You say that now, but you'd be surprised," he chuckled.

Scrooge and his family wished the three goodbye, Louie glaring daggers at Djinn and Gene as Donald cajoled him on board. They watched the plane take off, quickly disappearing behind the clouds.

"But for real," Gene snorted, "they should make a show about that family. Maybe, like, Duck... Fables."

Amunet and Djinn didn't understand the reference.

Gene shrugged. "You had to be there. Oh! Almost forgot!" He took off his turban, revealing a gold crown set with numerous diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires atop his messy curls. Amunet gasped, dropping her bag and khopesh. "Couldn't leave out you guys. Especially the gentleman who wished me free." He winked.

Gene took off the crown and knelt before Djinn. He held it out to the warrior, his head bowed. "For my Master," he said humbly, "a gift for saving my life."

Djinn frowned. "I am not your Master, Gene," he said. 

The former genie winced, smiled crookedly. "Oh, ha--right. Right. Sorry." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "So, what should I call you? Mister Djinn?"

"Faris or Djinn," Djinn replied.

Gene mulled over the name. "Then... Djinn. Bit more respectful."

Djinn shook his head but took the crown. "Thank you for this gift," he said, bowing. Gene looked as if he'd been smacked. "We will use some of the jewels to pay for food and shelter. Amunet, you will take the rest of the crown with you."

Amunet blushed as she was passed the crown. "Well," she said, playfully putting it on her head between her ears. "Can't say no when it just looks so good on me."

"Like a true queen," Gene said, and bowed lowly, "yourrrr Maaajesty."

"Come. We should arrive at the nearest town just before the storm hits," Djinn said, mounting his bike. "Gene, you will sit between us."

Gene nodded, tail wagging as he climbed up onto the bike. Amunet sat behind him, dropping an oversized helmet on his head. 

"Hold onto me tightly," Djinn ordered, buckling on his helmet. He guided one of Gene's hands to his waist.

Gene smiled, his heart skipping a beat. "Did it once before," he whispered, closing his arms tight around Djinn as the motorcycle started up, "think I can do it again."


End file.
